Legacy
by Mists
Summary: Even though someone is gone, their legacy lives on. Harry and Ron find out that Hedwig left behind a special gift for her master.


**Disclaimer:** Hi everyone, sorry for my long absence. Long story short, my husband is in the Army and I've had a lot of moving and job stuff to do. That and I lost my writing muse for awhile. For my Justice League fans; I just wanted to let you know I am still planning to finish Double Edged Sword. I'm going to be writing a couple short stories in Harry Potter and Star Trek the Original Series though before I get back to it. I really have to go over my notes and get back into the grove though. I'm hoping these short stories will start that up again.

It being Father's Day, this wild little idea popped into my head. It isn't about Harry and his kids or Ron and his kids. Hehehee. Hope you like it though. This takes place between books 6 and 7 mostly and is a little AU. You'll see why.

That being said, I own nothing! So let's get this puppy started:

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><p><strong>~~Legacy~~ <strong>

**By: Mists**

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><p><strong>-Ron's POV-<strong>

"Oi, Pig! _Pig!_ Where the bloody hell are you, blasted bird?" bellowed Ron as he searched for the umpteenth time that week for his over zealous pet.

Usually Pig was amazingly gung-ho about delivering his master's letters, but for the last few weeks something had been off.

Ever since Harry stayed over ….that is before he went to the Dursleys _alone. _He rolled his eyes at that thought. Needless to say, Ron was still a little miffed about being made to stay at home while Harry had to suffer the presence of those people again.

Anyway back on topic, ever since then, Pig had been missing in action. He had stopped flying around Ron's head and hooting at the crack of dawn. Seriously, he's an owl, what kind of nocturnal creature is that perky at dawn? Pig didn't land on Ron's head while he was brushing his teeth. And he wasn't following Ron around like his own personal bludger when playing Quidditch with Ginny, Fred, and George. Now, the little guy had even stopped coming when called to take letters.

Something was definitely up.

After twenty minutes of waiting, Ron finally had enough. He marched over to his broom, and took to the skies in search of his missing bird.

"PIG! _Pigwidgeon Weasley!_ I am giving you to the count of three to come out! Or I swear, I will never share my bacon with you again! " yelled Ron as he flew around his parents' property. He was pulling out the big guns now.

"One!..._Two!..._THREE!" called Ron as he hovered near the lake. He waited a good ten minutes until he conceded,

"_Okay, now I'm worried."_

Ron would never admit it aloud, but he loved his little hyperactive friend. Pig was a gift from Sirius. He was a replacement for the other pet (who shall not be named! _shiver_) he had lost. Since Sirius' death, the little guy reminded Ron of simpler, happier times…if one can call dodging the clutches of You-Know-Who on almost a year basis _simpler. _But the fact remained that…. well it was. In those days, no matter what Ron, Harry and Hermione had come up against, they had persevered and won.

Nowadays that feeling of invincibility against the evils of the world was gone. Their losses were piling up, and the costs were mounting ever higher.

Pig…Pig was a small, simple creature, which zipped around and just loved to be alive.

The thought that something might have happened to his pet when he wasn't looking weighed heavy on his heart.

A familiar fluffy bonk to the head brought Ron's thoughts back to reality.

"There you are you little bugger!" exclaimed Ron as his hand jotted out and plucked the big eyed, feather duster from the air.

Pig just chirped happily at his master and wagged his little tail.

"Oi, don't you chirp at me, you! Where have you been?" asked Ron as the bird wiggled out of his hand and perched on the tip of his broom handle.

Pig just puffed out his small chest and let out a proud squeak. He then flew up to his master's head, plucked a good amount of hair, and took off like a bullet.

"_OW!_ Gahh! Come back here, you crazy tosser!" yelled Ron as he gave chase after the hair thief.

He dove, dodged, bobbed and weaved through the maze of trees.

"_I'm not a bleeding Seeker, Pig_," thought Ron as he tried to catch the tiny owl for like the millionth time.

Then suddenly, Pig dove into a canopy of a tree and did not come out.

Ron stopped short and flew very slowly up to the trunk of the tree. He _really _didn't need Pig flying off again.

He pulled back the leaves of the oak tree and saw Pig's large eyes popping out of a comfy looking hole.

"Alright you, now what was that all about," grumbled the now quite tired Ron, "I've been searching for you all day so you can take this letter to Hermione. So whatever this is, it better be important!"

Pig just blinked his yellow eyes at him and hopped out of the crevice. He then sat on the branch beside the opening and looked back and forth between Ron and the hole.

"And what," sighed Ron as he leaned in to get a closer look, "is in here then?"

It was then that Ron caught the glimmer of his red hair, woven into the branches of a small nest with three little eggs.

Ron let out a surprised gasp, and looked at Pig in shock, "Pig! You're- you're a daddy?"

Pig once again puffed out his tiny chest and gave a proud hoot.

"Well…I'll be," whispered Ron as he took in the fact that his friend was now a family man.

"And just who," laughed Ron questioningly, "is the lucky girl?"

"Who," uttered Pig as he cocked his head to the side and innocently looked at Ron.

Ron just glared at the cheeky S.O.B.

"Ha ha, Mr. Smart-aleck," was his sarcastic reply.

"But seriously, where is your girl?" asked Ron as he glanced around to see if another owl hunting out in the trees.

Pig just closed his eyes and looked down. He then flew into the nest and came out with a very familiar snowy white feather in his beak.

Ron just stared at it in shock.

"_No, way…"_ thought Ron as he repeatedly looked from the feather to Pig and then back again.

"You- you knocked-up _Hedwig?_" Ron exclaimed and was immediately bombarded by an angry screeching Pig pecking about his ears.

"Ow! Stop it! Hedwig isn't a scarlet woman, I get it! I'm _sorry!_ You know I have no tact, now will you please let up, Pig!" whined Ron as he tried to bat the crazy owl away.

With an indignant squawk, Pig settled down and flew back into the nest to sit on the eggs.

Ron stared at Pig as he straightened his now messy hair. "Sorry about that mate. I was just a little surprised is all," muttered Ron in an ashamed voice.

Pig just chirped happily at him; apparently back to his normally bubbly self.

"_The Weasley temper must be rubbing off on him,"_ thought Ron as he still eyed the bird cautiously.

It was then that Ron saw the big picture; Hedwig must have gotten together with Pig back at the Owlery in school. Then before Harry left with Hedwig, she must have laid her eggs at the Burrow. Oh boy, without Hedwig there…Pig is all these little guys have.

"Oh Pig," sighed Ron as he patted the little owl on the head, "I'm sorry. Looks like you have your wings full here, huh?"

Pig chirped back and gave Ron's fingers an affectionate peck.

"Don't worry little mate," said Ron as he backed his broom out of the canopy, "I'm sure Errol has got at least one last good flight in him. So you tend to your family in Hedwig's absence, okay?"

Pig hooted his thanks as Ron took off back towards the Burrow, making note of where the tree was.

As Ron flew back; he thought of Hedwig, and how she had left with Harry to go to that awful place again. She never even gave a hoot or snap of protest when they went to the Dursleys. Hedwig left her family so that she could be there for Harry.

Ron smiled sadly as he thought of that. He also gave a chuckled at how calm and reserved Hedwig could fall for the little bundle of energy that was Pig.

It gave Ron a little hope that another proper woman that he knew… might just have feelings for a silly, rather clumsy redhead.

And with that, Ron took of to try to get Errol to deliver his letter.

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><p><strong>-Several Weeks Later-<strong>

"Ron, please, whatever it is just leave me be," sighed Harry still deeply depressed over the resent deaths of Mad-Eye and Hedwig.

It had only been two days since the fiasco of a mission to escort him to the Burrow. And Harry was totally not in the mood for whatever Ron was demanding of him.

"Get dressed," grunted Ron as he threw a random pair of jeans at Harry's head, "get your broom, and meet me at the lake in ten minutes or I'll tell the twins about all the places you snogged Ginny!"

"You wouldn't," whispered Harry as he paled at the thought of the death and destruction the twins could rain down upon him.

"Try me," was Ron's trite reply as he trampled down the stairs.

Deciding that it was better not to fight with Ron when he was in this sort of mood, Harry sighed to himself and started to get dressed.

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><p>"Ron, seriously, I'm not in the mood for Quidditch right now," sighed Harry and he took off at a lethargic pace compared to Ron.<p>

"Mate, trust me. You're going to want to see this and I guarantee it will cheer you up," replied the redhead as he sped off into the woods.

"Fine," Harry said following slowly behind his friend. Whatever Ron was thinking, it wasn't going to work, not with the pain he was feeling at the moment. Hedwig… she was never coming back. She had been his constant companion for a good portion of his life. She knew him at his best, and his worst. But that night…he had let her down, he couldn't protect her, and he'd always blame himself for that.

"We're here!" exclaimed Ron, who was blatantly trying to play up his joy to try to get Harry out of his funk.

"Oh joy, a tree," said Harry in a monotone, sarcastic voice, "I cannot contain the elation and excitement filling every inch of my soul."

Ron smacked him upside the head for that one.

"It's not the tree you idiot!" growled Ron, clearly annoyed that Harry did not see the brilliance of his tree plan, "It's what's_ inside_ it, nimrod."

Harry glared at him, rolled his eyes, and flew closer to the tree.

"Fine, looking at the tree," he grumbled irritably as he pushed a branch out of the way.

It was then that Harry caught sight of the little glimmer of red hair that was woven into the nest of a tiny brown owl.

"Pig? What are you doing here?" asked Harry as the tiny owl chirped his happiness at seeing his master's friend again. He flew over to Harry and pecked affectionately at the boy's ear.

"Hey mate, good to see you, too," said Harry with a bit of an airy giggle, "So what's this then?"

Pig puffed out his little chest with pride as three tiny heads popped up out of the nest.

"Pig! You've got kids!" gasped Harry as he took in the sight of the three cute yellow eyed chicks.

"_Odd," _thought Harry as he noticed that one of the chicks was white and the other two were brown.

"Congratulations, Pig. I'm really happy for you!" exclaimed Harry genuinely pleased at Pig's good fortune.

The little owl hooted proudly, every bit the loving father.

"So where's the misses, then?" asked Harry in a teasing manner.

At this question, Pig's head seemed to droop.

"Uh….Harry," whispered Ron quietly as he flew up beside Harry…holding a very familiar white feather.

"Ron…where did you get that?" asked Harry hoarsely as his mouth went dry with dread.

His friend just cleared his throat and gently handed the feather off to Harry.

Harry's eyes filled with tears as he held the feather with reverence.

"Ron," said Harry sadly, "please tell me Hedwig didn't leave these little guys for me…"

"Mate…" sighed Ron, really not knowing what to say.

"So another family destroyed…all because of me. You think that will make me happy, mate?" asked Harry as his breathing became harsh.

"No," Ron snapped as his eyes filled with indignant fire, "I thought knowing that part of Hedwig is still _alive_ might!"

That statement stopped Harry right in his self-loathing tracks.

"What?" he asked in clear surprise.

Ron let out a soft sigh as he looked down and away from Harry.

"It's just…well… Back at the end of four year, when Hermione and I spent that summer at the Order of the Phoenix…" he said shyly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah…"

"Well…during that time. Sirius and I became pretty close."

Once again Harry felt a surge of resentment towards Dumbledore for denying him that chance to spend time with his godfather. He also felt anger towards Ron. His friend had been given the chance to know Sirius when Harry did not. It just wasn't fair. Sirius was Harry's godfather, not Ron's. Which was probably why Ron had never told him this until now. Ron felt guilty for getting the chance when Harry did not. But Harry pushed down his flaring jealousy and nodded for him to continue.

This action seemed to stiffen Ron's resolve and he continued on.

"Anyway, Sirius… and Lupin as well, they would always kind of talk about how seeing you made the fact that James and Lily were gone, easier to bear."

Harry just looked at Ron confused, "I…don't understand."

"I asked them why that was…" whispered Ron softly, "They said it was because part of them still lived on… in well, _you._"

Harry's startled blink was his only reply.

"It isn't something just physical, like the fact that you have your dad's hair and your mom's eyes. It's the memories behind your actions. When you huff at something, you're like Lily or when you laugh you sound like James. In you, your honor, your emotions, your heart…part of them is still alive. Even Mad-Eye, mate. Everything he taught us still lives on as long as we keep him alive in our actions."

Harry had never heard Ron speak so profoundly. It scared him a little. But then again, Ron always did have more of an emotional range than he and Hermione ever gave him credit for.

"So what you're saying… is that part of Hedwig, lives on in them?" asked Harry as he turned to look over his shoulder at the nest.

"And us as well," laughed Ron as he gave Harry a supportive pat on the shoulder.

Pig let loose an affirmative hoot as he zipped around Harry's head happily.

As Harry and Ron laughed at the antics of the little owl; he hoped that both he and Ron would remember this lesson well… in the times to come.

….

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><p><strong>-Nineteen Years Later-<strong>

Harry looked back fondly at the two large cages that rattled on top of the laden trolleys they were pushing towards Platform 9 ¾. Brunhilda and Ferguson, Pig and Hedwig's descendants, hooted indignantly at the chaos going on around them.

Harry smiled happily knowing that a part of Hedwig and Pig would be with his and Ron's children as they grew up and experienced the wonder that was Hogwarts. Hedwig's legacy would live on in her children and his own as well.

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><p><strong>-The End-<strong>

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><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>: Well everyone, hope you liked this little story. The AU part is of course that I'm not sure if Hedwig and Pig, being different kinds of owls, could have babies but eh, I really don't care. It turned out to be really cute.

Now to my long time fans and even my new ones, I've decided not to answer reviews back to people unless they ask me something really important. It just takes a lot of time, time that I could spend writing new things because I don't have a lot of it. So please, everyone, I thank you for all your input and reviews. Please don't be offended if I don't reply back. I appreciate each and every person that leaves a comment.

Thank you all for reading, and please remember to review!


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